​Janet Street-Porter often identifies issues that people don’t like to talk about or want to hide under the carpet and I love that.

But I can’t agree with her about David Beckham. By asking “Why should the law favour the likes of David Beckham?” she misses the point. The law is the same for all of us and if any of us had got the speeding notice late, the Court should have reached the same decision. “Ah,” Janet will say. “Not everyone can afford to hire Mr Loophole.” True, but the Court has to treat everyone fairly and equally under the law. So, in which case, don’t have an inadequate solicitor represent you. Go in person and represent yourself. The judge or magistrate then has to look after you and make sure that you receive the full benefit of the protection of the law and that it is upheld to the letter. In such circumstance, they almost become your advocate.

The point surely is, why was the notice late? Why did someone working for us on the public payroll (and no doubt with a great pension) get something so simple, so wrong? Do I hear computer glitch? They do what we programme them to do. We see it everywhere. No standards, no pride, sloppy carelessness at work. It infuriates us in shops, talking to a call centre and dealing with councils and utilities. Obviously, they are not all bad and most are staffed by hard working dedicated people, but we should not expect the Court system to be any different. If so, why? But (yes, another but!), in the private SME sector which I know well, we like to make people accountable for their mistakes – particularly those that hurt us financially or result in our customers getting poor service. We’d constantly like to sack people for a poor standard of work, but it ain’t that easy! In practical terms we have full employment at the moment, or near full employment. This is because, as my old Nan would have said, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. The trouble is, keeping poor performers in place is how mediocrity becomes the current day genius!

Keep campaigning Janet but hit the right targets and then those able to hire Mr Loophole won’t need to do so because there’ll be no point – the loophole won’t be there!